It's no secret that a lot of Christian bands have found ways to take their music and invest it in greater causes. Music is a vehicle that can easily travel to a lot of places and reach a lot of people, often bringing home a message in a way no other medium could. This basic idea has been brought into clearer focus this fall through the appropriately named Music With A Mission Tour, featuring a strong mix of bands from a variety of musical styles. The bands have come together with the purpose of supporting causes bigger than the rock shows—particularly Compassion International, but with heavy involvement from organizations like TOMS Shoes and Hellen Woody Mens Clothing as well.

I caught the tour on its stop at LeTourneau University's Belcher Center in Longview, Texas. The lobby was lined with the bands' merch booths, but the more prominent tables closer to the entrance belonged to the organizations that provided the impetus behind the tour. Many concert-goers were still exploring what the tables had to offer by the time Samestate kicked off the evening in the hazy auditorium.

Samestate played a strong three song set, featuring their current single “Hurricane.” Lead singer Dalton Diehl took a few minutes between songs to encourage the audience that we have a choice, and we were meant for more. It was a good way to introduce the audience to a band most of them hadn't heard before, and also to set the tone of the evening. Canada-based rock band Kiros followed, providing a contagiously energetic set drawing heavily on their album A Single Strand. They also took a moment to share a message between songs, encouraging the audience that God's love can meet us wherever we are.

During the brief interval before Manafest's set, the audience's attention was held by a video spot for NewReleaseTuesday. Very shortly afterwards Manafest came on stage with his intense, scorching rocker “Avalanche.” He had a bassist, guitarist, and drummer on stage with him, but his explosive presence was forefront. He kept the energy going with “No Plan B” and then slowed down for a thoughtful moment with “Every Time You Run” before finishing his set with “Fire in the Kitchen” (complete with a gas mask from the song's music video for his bass player).

Superchick took the stage next, kicking off their set with the anthemic “I'm Alive.” By this point the crowd was more than warmed up. Texan crowds are famous for their noise and their energy, and this audience was no exception. Superchick continued with “One Girl Revolution” and “Hey Hey,” and by the time they played a brief clip of Lady GaGa's “Just Dance” in preparation for launching into their own track “Rock What You Got,” the room already had the atmosphere of a party. In recognition of the audience's response, Melissa Brock sang the first line of “Deep In the Heart of Texas,” and the room sang the rest back to her at a deafening volume.

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The rest of their set took on a more mellow turn as Tricia took time to tell the story behind their song “We Live,” encouraging fans to look at the world and live like we're dying. They followed that up with their well-known “Stand in the Rain” and closed the set with “Always,” a song from Tricia Brock's solo album The Road. The closing was particularly appropriate as Tricia's husband Nick Baumhardt, who helped her write and produce the album, had been on stage with her all evening filling in on bass for Superchick.

After Superchick's set, a video in support of Compassion rolled. Afterwards, Melissa Brock got on stage and shared some of her personal experience with Compassion, encouraging the audience to take packages from the volunteers in the aisle and to go flood the table later. As soon as she left the stage and a brief intermission began, the crowd took her advice. The Compassion table was surrounded by a tight group of people for most of the rest of the evening.

Hyland took the stage to pull the audience back in again, playing a brief but strong set with their songs “Jumping the Gun” and the worshipful “This Love Is Free.” Another new act in a totally different genre took the stage next. Hip-hop artist BenJah played a solid mix of his own music and some brief covers of Lecrae and Tedeshii songs he has helped to write and produce. It was a good introduction to an artist well worth watching.

Chasen was filling in for Mikeschair on this leg of the tour, so they claimed the stage next and opened with their well-known songs “Castaway” and “On and On.” After the first two tracks, lead singer Chasen Callahan took the time to share some of his testimony with the audience, following it up with “Drown,” a song he wrote as a 15-year-old giving his life to Christ. It was a raw moment of honesty and recognition of God's strength as a Rescuer. They closed their set on a high note with “Eyes of a Rescue.”

After another brief set change, rockers Fireflight took the stage with “For Those Who Wait,” the title track of their early 2010 release. They played a solid mix of tracks from their past three releases, even dipping into their first album for the track “You Decide.” Halfway through the set, lead singer Dawn Richardson took some time to let the audience know that they are finishing up tracking their next release. She talked about some of the struggles they have been through as a band, and the way God is faithful in the midst of the hard times. They followed this with the encouraging “All I Need to Be.” They left the stage with their empowering “Unbreakable,” leaving an enthusiastic crowd that clearly would have welcomed more from them. 

After another brief break, Hawk Nelson headlined the night. They opened with the heartfelt song “Your Love is a Mystery” from their recent release Crazy Love. After that they ramped up the energy with some of their older, well-known songs like “Friend Like That.” The audience response was intense as fans sang (or screamed) along. In an unexpected but seamless transition, they Hawk guys covered Andrew W.K.'s party anthem “Party Hard.”

I've seen Hawk Nelson multiple times over the past few years, but this was probably the most fun set I have ever seen them play. They played the show like they were there to hang out with their fans, even pulling a huge group onto the stage to dance with them at one point. They did break up their set with a mellow moment when they played their earnest song “Everything You Ever Wanted” followed by “Take Me.” This more serious note carried to the conclusion of their set with the upbeat, encouraging “Crazy Love.”

Perhaps the most fun moment of the evening came at the end, when Hawk Nelson reclaimed the stage for the traditional encore. Instead of coming out to play one last Hawk Nelson song, the guys took the stage wearing massive 80s mullet wigs and aviator sunglasses. They launched into an enthusiastic cover of Journey's iconic power ballad “Don't Stop Believing.” Few bands could pull it off with as much style as Hawk Nelson, but they have the decided edge of knowing when not to take themselves too seriously. It was brilliantly done. 

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The lobby was busy long after the final guitar riffs faded as concert-goers moved through autograph lines and connected with causes at the tables. It is a testimony to the quality of the music and the incredibly smooth, short set changes that even after nearly five hours of music, so many stayed to the end and beyond.

The Music With A Mission Tour definitely hosts a wonderfully eclectic mix of talent, but the proof of its success is found in the fact that dozens of Compassion children were sponsored over the course of the evening. The concert was encouraging, it was entertaining, but ultimately it pushed all of us to consider what really matters after the music fades. That proves the Music With A Mission Tour to be a rousing success.